The CSU San Marcos MBRS SCORE Program Supplement will advance the career development of six faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences. The expanded version of the program will include nine projects and ten faculty. This supplement requests support for research activities in areas that include molecular biology of stress induced by viral infections, marine anti-mycobacterial natural products studies, psychopharmacology of opiate actions, design and development of novel vaccines for rapidly mutating viruses, whole animal aging and cellular responses to oxidative stress, and cultural factors in childhood obesity. The career development of faculty will be accompanied by involvement of students who will develop research knowledge and skills to prepare them for advanced biomedical research careers. Our program has seven major goals and measurable objectives including: Goal 1: Increase the publication activity of the participating SCORE faculty by 25%. Goal 2: Increase the grant proposal activity of the participating SCORE faculty by 25%. Goal 3: Increase the number of professional presentations of the SCORE faculty by 25%. Goal 4: Enhance diversity of the faculty in the departments participating in the program so that at least one scientist from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group will be appointed as a tenure track faculty to each of these academic units during the course of the overall project. Goal 5: Advance the academic rank of all SCORE assistant and associate professors by one level. Goal 6: Increase the number of students participating in research in the laboratories of SCORE faculty by 25%. Goal 7: Enhance the research environment of the university by 25% as measured by quantitative survey instruments. Our evaluation plan provides formative and summative assessment for each project goal. The national SCORE Program's goals and the CSUSM strategic plan are in perfect alignment. The regional minority population growth, the campus commitment to diversity, the extensive experience of the program director, the existing CSU San Marcos MBRS RISE, MARC-U*STAR and Bridges Programs, and the new science buildings equipped with modern scientific instruments and powerful instructional resources collectively make CSUSM an ideal location for a successful and expanded MBRS SCORE Program. [unreadable] [unreadable]